HELP: Falcon 10 vs Supercharger Blower or ??

Well I have been trying on all sorts of boots and I have it down to these 2 boots. Possible others if anyone has any good suggestions. Any pro's and cons versus these 2 boots? I have been in a Nordica Beast 10 boot and I had some problems with the boot. I have a narrow heel with a wider forefoot so I have been having troubles finding a boot that will have a good heel lock with a wider forefoot with a high arch. With the help of Tim he has instructed me towards Moszkito Flex footbeds.

Here are my thoughts on these boots.

Nordica Supercharger Blower

Boot felt great, no pain after 20-30mins in the boot. Worried about the fleece lining and the boot packing out to much because it felt good and maybe to comfortable right away. No apparent problems with this but the boot may have felt a little to roomy again.

Salomon Falcon 10

Boot felt great as well. After about 30 mins maybe more my foot did go a little numb in the boot. I am leaning towards this boot versus the Nordica at the moment. The boot seem to fit me just as good if not better than the Nordica besides the numbness in the foot. This was also the first time this year I have had ski boots on for more than 20 mins. The heel felt firmly locked and maybe the best fit I have felt in a boot for heel lock.

This is what had been suggested to me to relieve the numbness in the foot.

"A good bootfitter can remove some padding from the tongue to lessen the pressure there. The other trick is they can remove the bootboard and grind some off the bottom to drop your foot, making more room above the instep."

Pros and Cons for this?

I have been skiing for approx 5 years and snowboarded many years previous to that. I would rate my level as an advanced intermediate and not at expert. I ski mostly piste in the upper midwest in Minnesota with the occasional trip to the mountains. I will ski moderate level black diamonds in the mountains.

I am 6-0 200 pounds and I usually ski an RX-8 170 and will ski around 20 times a season more if time allows.

Any thoughts on these boots or maybe suggestions to something I have not tried yet. I am leaning towards the Falcon 10 right now as it seems to be the best fit so far. I am looking at purchasing this weekend as a great sale at a local place has come up.

We did have problems last year with the nordica superchargers as far as packing out, and thefityou describe sounds like you could end up suffering from this as well. I think the problem stemmed from a low instep on the boot that really prevented people from getting as tight a fit as was necessary. A few successes came from people who had been previously fit in dobermanns who wanted something a bit softer but couldnt fit into the smaller J2-J3 type boots. Otherwise it was easier to put them into a Falcon or Lange and grind down the bootboard.

Salomon Falcon 10....
...This is what had been suggested to me to relieve the numbness in the foot.

"A good bootfitter can remove some padding from the tongue to lessen the pressure there. The other trick is they can remove the bootboard and grind some off the bottom to drop your foot, making more room above the instep."

With what has been suggested to you...yes. But are you sure the diagnosis your foot numbness [thought to be instep] would be fixed by work on the boot tongue or boot board alone? There is only so much that a particular component can be worked for a particular boot. When a bootfitter specifically examines your fit they know the tolerances of that boot and know what work [normally in combination] to the shell, liner, boot board, & footbed is best for your proper fit. Is it your high instep or wide foot or other issue including a combination of items that is causing numbness after only 30 minutes [with a warm boot no less]. Would pain double if you have the boot on for 60 minutes? Sum; How much material relief, and where, is needed to eliminate your foot numbness and can it be done with this boot?

Remember, not much can be done with the plastic shell instep and the Falcon 10 is not the most generous there for some feet. Further, the Falcon has a slight tongue to begin with as part of its thin liner. Working further on that tongue, while not impossible, may not result in huge gain for your particular foot. For that matter, the boot board of the Falcon 10 has but little grinding opportunity before lateral forefoot adhesion with the shell is lost and you have potential forefoot sideslip. Therefore, could simply working on the tongue and boot board fix it for you? Perhaps. But I would certainly have your fitter give a closer look.

The shop where you are purchasing the boot should offer, even with a special sales price, a guarantee of satisfaction [return, replacement etc]. With that said, if you have the right shell fit, purchase them, put your dogs in them, and see your fitter for the final call. Good luck